A first inning grand slam set the course Sunday, as the Auburn Doubledays used a five run first inning as a springboard on the way to an 8-4 win over the Scrappers.

Jake Sisco was the victim of the early runs, as he wascalled on to make the start in the second game of the two-game series. He has been struggling as of late, giving up sixteen runs in his last four starts.

Sisco found himself in trouble immediately Sunday, as he allowed two singles and a walk to load the bases before recording an out. After a one out walk put Auburn on the board, Carlos Lopez made sure Sisco paid for his early struggles, blasting a bases-loaded homerun to left field to put him in an early 5-0 hole before he could even finish an inning.

The Scrapper offense got one back in the top of the second, when Andrew Campbell lifted a sacrifice fly to center field that allowed Mitch Nilsson to score. Sisco gave that run back in the third, however, as a groundout with a runner on third pushed across another run, making it 6-1. Sisco would exit after only three, allowing six earned runs on five hits.

The offense added a run in both the fifth and sixth to cut the lead to a manageable 6-3. In the fifth, Robel Garcia and Aaron Siliga hit back-to-back two-out singles to put men at the corners. Garcia was able to score on a throwing error to pick up a run. Then in the sixth, Charlie Valerio picked up his tenth two-bagger of the year before being singled home by Nilsson.

No comeback would be in the works, however, as Auburn picked up two runs of their own in the seventh off of Jack Wagoner to erase the work that the Scrapper offense had done. After hitting a batter with one out, Wagoner allowed a double to Chris Marrero to chase home the first run. Shawn Pleffner followed with an RBI single to make it an 8-3 game.

The Scrappers would add one more run in ninth, when Campbell singled home Evan Frazar after a double, but the rally would fall well short as the Scrappers lost 8-4 and settled for a split. Sisco took the loss for the Scrappers, his second straight losing decision. Auburn starter David Fischer picked up the win.

With the road trip completed, the Scrappers now return home to Niles, where after an off-day Monday the New York-Penn League All-Star Game will take place Tuesday night. After that, they will remain in Mahoning Valley for a six-game home stand, beginning Wednesday night with another two-game series against Auburn.

Available IBI Books

The 2014 Cleveland Indians Baseball Insider book featuring the Indians' Top 100 Prospects and more is now available. Also, previous editions from 2008-2012 are also available at a discounted rate. Just click on the book image for more information. Thanks again for all the support!